System and method for fixing a toilet overflow

ABSTRACT

A basin may comprise a wall wherein the wall may be circumscribed about a bowl of a toilet. The wall circumscribed about the bowl of the toilet may define a cavity which may catch or contain waste water overflowing from the toilet. Further, the bowl may be modified with a notch at a rear portion of a rim of the bowl. The notch may operate to direct overflowing waste water therethrough and into the basin or in the alternative into a bucket. In another embodiment of the present invention, a bowl may be modified with a threaded aperture. The threaded aperture may be large enough for an instrument or hand to pass therethrough so as to aid in removing debris from a siphon passageway. In another embodiment of the present invention, a bowl of a toilet may be fabricated with a built in plunger. The built in plunger may have a head that is disposed within the siphon passageway. The head may have a non actuated position which allows the toilet to operate as normal and an actuated position which traverses the head from the non actuated position to an actuated position. The traversing from the non actuated position to the actuated position may force debris trapped within the siphon passageway back into the bowl of the toilet.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to improved toilets and toiletmodifications, and more particularly, a basin or absorbent member tocontain overflow water of the toilet, a conventional toilet modifiedwith an aperture to remove debris from a siphon passageway of thetoilet, and a built in plunger to push debris trapped within the siphonpassageway back into a bowl of the toilet.

Gravity toilet tanks are well known and the most commonly utilizedtoilets in residences today. A common problem with gravity toilet tanks,as well as other types of toilets known in the art is overflowingwastewater. In particular, when toilets become clogged, then the waterlevel in the bowl of the toilet may over flow and cause damage to thefloor and other nearby structures. Manufacturers and engineers typicallydesign the bowl to hold one full tank of water such that a single flushwill not cause the toilet bowl water to overflow. Nonetheless, toiletbowls still overflow. One reason may be that a refill mechanism of thetoilet bowl may be broken. In this regard, manufacturers and designersstill attempt to provide for additional measures to deal withoverflowing waste water and its associated causes.

The damage caused by overflowing wastewater may be expensive. Forexample, the waste water may stain adjacent dry wall, and carpeting, anddamage nearby structures such as cabinets and furniture. Moreover, thedamage caused by overflowing wastewater may be magnified if the toiletis located in multi floor apartment building. In particular, theoverflowing wastewater may flow down into other floors of the buildingand cause water damage to carpet, furniture, dry wall and otherassociated structures of the apartment building. Accordingly, the damagecaused by overflowing waste water may be widespread and extremelyexpensive to repair.

One solution to overflowing waste water is to redirect overflowing wastewater to a central drainage system such that the overflowing waste waterdoes not damage the floor or nearby structures. For example, the floorupon which the toilet sits may be water impervious and contoured suchthat any overflowing waste water will run into the central drain whichmay lead to a sewer. Accordingly, overflowing waste water does notremain on the floor so as to damage the floor and nearby structures.This method of preventing damage to the floor and nearby structures istypically found in public area restrooms such as at restaurants,airports, and the like. This method accomplishes the task of preventingdamage to the floor and nearby structures but is very costly because itrequires that the floor be specially contoured such that overflowingwaste water will be centrally directed to a central drainage. Further,the floor must be water impervious and as such is only useful in certaincommercial environments. Moreover, this method requires that there be acentral drainage system. This central drainage system is an additionalexpense above the drainage system for the toilet itself. Simply put,this solution is expensive and unattractive.

Another solution related to overflowing waste water is clog-removal,typically via the use of a plunger. The plunger does not address theoverflowing waste water itself such as in the central drainage systemdiscussed above; rather, the plunger unclogs a siphon passage way of thetoilet so as to prevent overflowing waste water. For example, the toiletmay have an excess of toilet paper such that the excess becomes trappedwithin the siphon passageway. In this regard, the plunger may be used onthe toilet to create a sufficient amount of pressure within the siphonpassageway so as to force the excess therethrough into the sewer.However, this solution does not solve all types of causes for cloggedtoilets. For example, if an object too large for the siphon passagewaywere to become trapped therein, then no amount of increased pressurewould be sufficient to force the hair brush through the siphon passageway.

One solution to remove such oversized objects would be to use a toiletauger. However, the toilet auger is inconvenient to use and thehomeowner typically has to rent such equipment thereby causingadditional expense with respect to both time and money. Moreover, thetoilet auger may require special skill to use because of the danger ofdamaging the inner surface of the siphon passageway. As such, thehomeowner may have to hire a plumber thereby further adding to theexpense to unclog the toile both with respect to time and money.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a device which is easy toinstall as well as inexpensive to further address the problemsassociated with overflowing waste water. Moreover, there is a need inthe art for a device which may remove items that have become trappedwithin the siphon passage way but is too large to pass therethrough.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The deficiencies in the prior art are addressed by the device of thepresent invention. In this regard, although reference to thedeficiencies are made in this brief summary, this reference is not meantto limit the scope of the present invention in any respect but ratherthe references to the deficiencies in the prior art are meant toillustrate by way of example only the benefits of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a basin which may contain or catchwaste water that may overflow from a toilet. In particular, the basinmay comprise a wall that surrounds or circumscribes the entirecircumference of a bowl of the toilet. The wall along with the bowl mayform a cavity that is capable of catching waste water that overflowsfrom the bowl. As such, in the event that the toilet does overflow, thewaste water is contained within the cavity and the waste water cannotdamage the floor or surrounding structures. To facilitate the ability ofthe wastewater contained within the basin to be easily disposed of, itis contemplated that a valve may be provided through which such watercan be drained through the existing plumbing network. In this respect,it is contemplated that such optional valve will tie into the toilet'sexisting plumbing line to thus enable the wastewater to be quickly andeasily eliminated using the existing plumbing infrastructure. Hence, theextensive damages that may be caused by overflowing waste water asidentified in the background are mitigated by the device of the presentinvention.

Further, the basin may be fabricated so as to be attachable to the bowlof the toilet while the bowl is in place on the floor (i.e., withoutremoving the bowl from the floor). This may be accomplished bypre-forming a wall that is circumscribable about the bowl of the toilet.In this regard, the wall may be flexible such that the same may bewrapped around the bowl of the toilet. Moreover, the wall may definefirst and second distal ends which may overlap and be attached to eachother once the wall is wrapped around the bowl. Accordingly, the basinwhich is one aspect of the present invention is easy and inexpensive toinstall yet may prevent damage to the floor and adjacent structures thatcosts exponentially more than the cost to install the basin.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the toilet andmore particularly, the bowl of the toilet may be modified to have anotch. The notch may be formed in a rim of the bowl and preferably, thenotch may be formed at a rear portion of the rim so as to prevent anyinconvenience to a user of the toilet. The notch may operate to directoverflowing waste water through the notch instead of completely over theentire circumference of the rim of the bowl. A bucket adjacentlypositioned to the bowl and preferably positioned adjacent to the notchand below the notch may operate to catch or contain the overflowingwaste water directed through the notch. In this regard, the bowlmodified with the notch and the bucket in combination therewith providean inexpensive solution to the problem of waste water overflowing fromthe toilet bowl.

In a variation of such embodiment, a plastic toilet rim having a notchformed thereon, the latter in alignment with a bucket either integrallyformed therewith or attachable to such rim is provided to thus enablesuch embodiment to be utilized with conventional toilets to thus directthe overflow of wastewater to such external bucket, as opposed tospilling about the floor of the toilet as would otherwise occur. Suchembodiment will preferably be configured to be able to attach to any ormost existing toilet bowls, typically via apertures configured to alignand interconnect with the holes provided in most toilets forinterconnecting a conventional toilet seat. In this respect, it iscontemplated that by integrating the embodiment between the toilet andtoilet and further forming a water tight seal utilizing a known sealant,an existing toilet can be easily modified that is adapted to catch thewater from an overflowing toilet.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the bowl may bemodified to have an aperture. The aperture may be strategicallypositioned above an elbow of a siphon passageway of the toilet. In thisregard, instruments and, if the aperture is sized large enough, a humanhand may enter the aperture to remove debris from the siphon passage wayby pushing debris back into the bowl. This allows removal of debris toolarge to pass through the siphon passageway from the siphon passageway.Or, debris may be pushed further into the siphon passageway to forcedebris through the toilet drainage system. When the aperture is not usedto clear debris from the siphon passageway, a screw may be threadinglyengaged to the aperture so as to allow the siphon passageway to operatenormally.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the toilet may bemodified to have a built in plunger. The built in plunger may have ahead disposed within the siphon passageway of the toilet, and may have anon actuated position and an actuated position. The head, when in thenon actuated position, may conform to an inner surface of the siphonpassageway. When the head is traversed to the actuated position, thehead enters the siphon passageway and proceeds through an entrance ofthe siphon passage way. This is operative to force waste water anddebris back into the bowl. Further, the head may be actuated between thenon actuated and actuated positions with a foot pedal that may bedepressed. Upon depression of the foot pedal, the head may be traversedto the actuated position from a non actuated position. This aspect ofthe present invention illustrates a convenient for clearing debristrapped within the siphon passageway.

In combination with the aforementioned embodiment may be utilized adisposable, single-use band of absorbent material that is operative toabsorb any wastewater spilling over the toilet rim to thus serve tocatch or collect the same before spilling about the floor immediatelysurrounding the toilet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An illustrative and presently preferred embodiment of the invention isshown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toilet with a wall circumscribed abouta bowl of the toilet;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional side view of the toilet and wall of FIG. 1illustrating a lower edge of the wall abutting a base of the bowl;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional side view of the toilet of FIG. 1 with alower edge of a wall disposed between a bowl of the toilet and floor,and illustrating a liner for providing a barrier between the wall andbowl, and overflowing waste water;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a toilet with a notch in a rim of thetoilet, and a wall circumscribed about a bowl of the toilet operative tocontain waste water overflowing through the notch;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the toilet of FIG. 4, and a bucketadjacent to the notch to contain overflowing wastewater flowing throughthe notch;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a toilet with an aperture formed on anupper surface of a bowl of the toilet and positioned above an elbow of asiphon passageway of the toilet;

FIG. 7 is a side cross sectional view of a toilet modified with a builtin plunger in a non actuated position;

FIG. 8 is a side cross sectional view of the toilet of FIG. 7 with thebuilt in plunger in an actuated position, and further showing the use ofan optional absorbent ring to absorb overflowing wastewater;

FIG. 9 is a top view of a pre-fabricated toilet rim having a bucketformed therewith that is operative to be attached to an existingconventional toilet;

FIG. 10 is a frontal view of the pre-fabricated toilet rim of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 a side view of the pre-fabricated toilet rim of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 12 is a side view of a conventional toilet with the pre-fabricatedtoilet rim of FIG. 9 being affixed thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The drawings referred to herein are for the purposes of illustratingpreferred embodiments of the present invention and not for the purposeof limiting the same. For example, FIGS. 1-8 illustrate variousembodiments or aspects of the present invention, and more particularly,FIG. 1 illustrates a basin 10 which is an aspect of the presentinvention circumscribing a toilet bowl 12 of a gravity tank toilet 14for the purpose of containing overflow waste water (not shown). In thisregard, although the present invention is described with respect to atypical gravity tank toilet 14, it is also contemplated that the basin10 which is one aspect of the present invention may also be practicedwith other types of toilets such as a tankless toilet.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the basin 10 is provided. Thebasin 10 may circumscribe the bowl 12 of the gravity tank toilet 14, asshown in FIG. 1. The basin 10 may extend from a base 16 (see FIG. 2) ofthe bowl 12 and extend upwardly toward a rim 18 of the bowl 12, and morepreferably, the basin 10 may also extend outwardly. This upward andoutward extension of the basin 10 from the base 16 of the bowl isillustrated in FIG. 2. The basin 10 circumscribing the bowl 12 alongwith the outer surface 20 of the bowl 12 define a cavity 22. The cavity22 may be operative to catch or contain waste water that may overflowfrom the bowl 12. In other words, as the waste water overflows from thebowl 12, the overflowing waste water may fall or drop into the cavity 22and prevent the waste water from accumulating onto the floor 24 anddamaging the floor 24 and nearby structures (not shown). Further, thecavity 22 may be sized to contain at least one tank full of water.

Now a greater detailed discussion of the basin will be discussed. Inparticular, the basin 10 may comprise a wall 26. The wall 26 maycircumscribe the bowl 12 to form the basin. A lower edge 28 of the wall26 when circumscribed about the bowl 12 may form a first aperture 30.The first aperture 30 may abut the bowl, as shown in FIG. 2. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 2, the lower edge 28 a abuts the bowl 12 atthe junction where the bowl 12 is attached to the floor 24. In thealternative, the lower edge 28 b may be tucked under the bowl 12, asshown in FIG. 3. It is also contemplated that the lower edge 28 may abutthe bowl 12 at a level higher than floor level. In all three examples,to provide for a water tight seal at the junction between the lower edge28 and the bowl 12, the junction may be caulked or otherwise sealed suchas with silicone.

The wall 26 may also define an upper edge 32. The upper edge 32 may bewider compared to the rim 18 of the bowl 12 so as to catch waste wateroverflowing from the rim 18. It is also contemplated that the upper edge32 may be smaller compared to the rim 18 of the bowl 12 yet be able tocatch waste water that may overflow from the rim 18. As will be readilyunderstood by those skilled in the art, the height of the upper edge 32may be selectively chosen so that the volume defined by cavity 22 issufficient to capture a maximum amount of wastewater, typically thecontents of an entire flush of the toilet tank, as would be encounteredfor a given toilet. As such, it will be understood that the height ofupper edger 32 may be considerably lower depending upon the amount ofoverflow wastewater that may be anticipate for a particular toilet.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the basin 10 as being wrapped about the bowl.And, in another aspect of the present invention, FIG. 3 illustrates thebowl 12 resting on top of the lower edge 28. In this regard, adiscussion of the basin 10 being wrapped about the bowl 12 will befollowed by a discussion of the bowl 23 resting on the lower edge 28 ofthe wall 26. With respect to the basin 10 wrapped about the bowl 12 (seeFIG. 2), the wall 28 may be preformed such that the wall 28 may extendupwardly and outwardly as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and may additionallydefine first and second distal ends 34, 36 (see FIG. 1). As statedabove, the junction where the lower edge 28 of the wall 26 abuts thebowl 12 may be caulked to provide a water tight seal therebetween.Similarly, the first and second distal ends 34, 36 may overlap as shownin FIG. 1. The first and second ends 34, 36 when the wall 26 isinstalled may be lined with hooks and loops (e.g., commonly sold underthe trademark VELCRO), respectively to hold the ends 34, 36 in place.Thereafter, the junction between the first and second ends 34, 36 may becaulked to additionally to provide a water tight seal therebetween. Inthis way, the wall 26 works in conjunction with the bowl 12 to form thecavity 22; and the cavity 22 may be operative to catch and containoverflowing waste water.

With respect to the bowl 12 that rests on the lower edge 28 of the wall26, the wall 26 may be preformed as a unitary piece. In this regard, thewall 26 may resemble a bucket with an aperture 30 (see FIG. 3) throughits bottom. The aperture 30 may be sized and configured to fit betweenthe bowl 12 and the floor 24. In this regard, the bowl 12 should beremoved from the floor 24 to install the basin 10. In particular, thebowl 12 may be removed. Thereafter, the wall 26 may be positioned on thefloor 24 such that the aperture 30 is aligned with the bowl 12. The bowl12 may then be attached to the floor 24 to complete the installation ofthe wall 26 to the toilet 14. Further, to provide a water tight sealbetween the wall 26 and the bowl 12, the junction where the wall 26abuts the bowl 12 may be caulked 38 which is illustratively shown inFIG. 3.

Although the basin 10 of the present invention has been described asbeing caulked to provide a water tight seal between the wall 26 and thebowl 12, it is contemplated within the scope of the present inventionthat the wall 26 does not have to be caulked to provide the water tightseal between the wall 26 and the bowl 12. For example, it iscontemplated that the wall 26 is fabricated from a resilient rubberymaterial. The rubber wall 26 may be preformed such that the bowl 12rests on the lower edge 28 of the rubber wall 26 as discussed above.When the bowl 12 rests on the rubber wall 26, then a water tight sealmay be formed therebetween. In the alternative, the rubber wall 26 maybe formed such that aperture 30 may be slightly smaller. In this regard,the aperture 30 may squeeze itself about the bowl 12 to provide a watertight seal thereabout.

The wall 26 discussed above may be fabricated from plastic, galvanizedsteel, rubber or combinations thereof. Preferably, the wall 26 isfabricated from material that does not corrode and is soft such thatpeople will not be harmed if they bump into the wall 26. It is likewisecontemplated that the wall 26 will be formed to be disposable in naturefollowing a single use thereof.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, the basin 12 may furthercomprise a liner 40. The liner is illustratively shown in FIG. 3. Asshown in FIG. 3, the liner may completely cover the inner surface 42 ofthe wall 26 and the outer surface 20 of the bowl 12. In this regard, theliner 40 may provide a water tight barrier between the bowl 12 and basin10, and the waste water. As such, when the waste water overflows and iscontained by the basin 10, only the liner 40 requires replacement orcleaning. This aids in providing a convenient method of cleaningoverflowing waste water. Although the liner 40 has been described inrelation to the wall 26 where the lower edge 28 is tucked under the bowl12, it is contemplated that the liner 40 may be combined with the otheraspects of the present invention. For example, although not shown, theliner 40 may cover the inner surface 42 of the wall 26 and the outersurface 20 of the bowl 12 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Simply put, the liner40 may be combined with the various aspects of the present invention toprevent waste water from contaminating areas surrounding the bowl 12.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, the bowl 12 may bemodified such that overflowing waste water may be directed into a basin10 (see FIG. 4) or bucket 46 (see FIG. 5). In FIG. 4, the bowl 12 ismodified with a notch 44 in the rim 18 of the bowl 12. The notch 44 maybe fabricated anywhere about the rim 18 but is preferably fabricatedalong a rearward portion 46 of the rim 18 such that users of the toilet14 are not inconvenienced by the notch 44. The notch 44 may operate todirect overflowing waste water through the notch 44 such that in theevent of overflowing waste water, the waste water does not contaminatethe complete circumference of the rim 18. Rather, the waste water willcontaminate only the notch 44 which is easier to clean.

In an optional modification for use in any of the embodiments discussedherein with respect to FIGS. 1-4, there may be provided a separate valveor drain, shown as 21 in phantom in FIG. 2 that is operative to serve asa passageway through which the wastewater can drain through the toilet'sexisting plumbing line. In this regard, it is contemplated that suchvalve 21, which may take any valve known in the art, such as a manuallyactuated valve and the like, can be deployed to thus enable the contentsheld within the cavity 22 to be disposed of easily and quick, andespecially without having to transfer the contents held within the basinto an another site (such as another toilet). In one contemplatedembodiment, the valve 21 will be formed form a dissolvable material suchthat over a certain amount of time, the waste water held within cavity22 will be operative to dissolve such valve 21 and thus automaticallydrain through the toilet's existing plumbing line without ever having toreroute or otherwise come into contact with such wastewater.

As shown in FIG. 5, there is shown a variation of the embodiment of FIG.4 wherein the basin 10 may be replaced with the bucket 46. The bucket 46may define an upper edge 48. And, at least a portion of the upper edge48 may be attached to the outside surface 20 of the bowl 12, althoughthis attachment between the upper edge 48 and bowl 20 is not required.Preferably, the upper edge 48 attaches to the outside surface 20 of thebowl 12 underneath the notch 44 formed in the rim 18. As such, the wastewater that overflows through the notch 44 may be contained in the bucket46. Furthermore, the bucket 46 may be provided with a liner 40 such thatcleaning of the bucket 46 is simple and efficient.

In a variation of such embodiment depicted in FIGS. 9-12, it iscontemplated that a pre-fabricated toilet rim having bucket attached orintegrally formed therewith may be provided that can be utilized withexisting toilets. As is illustrated in FIG. 9, it is contemplated thatsuch structure 100 may be formed as a unitary plastic piece defined byan annular rim 102 that complements a rim of a conventional toilet seat.In this respect, annular rim 102 will define an aperture 104 to thusenable the toilet bowl to be accessed. Formed rearward of annular rim102 is planar surface 106, the latter having apertures 108 formedthereon that are operative to align with existing apertures within thetoilet for receiving screws to interconnect the toilet seat, as shown inFIG. 1. A channel 110 is formed that extends from annular rim 102 andacross planar surface 106 to overflow tank 112. As per the aboveembodiments, it is contemplated that channel 110 will direct theoverflowing toilet water to overflow tank 112 to thus prevent theoverflowing water from spilling about the toilet.

Referring now to FIG. 10, there is shown a frontal view of theembodiment depicted in FIG. 9 that shows the structure of thepre-fabricated toilet rim and how the same is designed to rest uponexisting rim of a conventional toilet. In this regard, it is expresslycontemplated that such embodiment will serve as a retrofit, viaapertures 108, and may be formed from relatively inexpensive materials,such as plastic and the like, to thus enable conventional toilets toavoid causing the damage sought to be prevented through the improvementsof the present invention. To achieve that end, it will likely benecessary to employ the use of a seal or sealant 114 to form awatertight seal between the rim 112 and toilet bowl rim.

Such application is illustrated in FIG. 11 which shows how theembodiment 100 will be positioned beneath a toilet seat and lid 116(shown in phantom) to thus enable the embodiment 100 to be integratedwithin a conventional toilet without causing the toilet to becomesubstantially modified from its original design. In this regard, theembodiment 100 is expressly configured to be interconnected using theexisting apertures 108 provided in most conventional toilets. As will bereadily appreciated by those skilled in the art, however, it iscontemplated that in order to form a waterproof seal, annular rim 102will necessarily need to be sealed, illustrated as 114 in FIG. 10, tothe conventional toilet rim using a conventional sealing agentwell-known to those skilled in the art.

Such embodiment 100 is further more clearly depicted in FIG. 12 whichshows how the embodiment 100 is integrated within an existing toiletstructure 120. As shown, the annular rim 120 is sandwiched between theconventional toilet lid and seat 116 (shown in phantom) and rim of thetoilet with the recovery bucket 112 being shown in phantom. In use, tothe extent an overflow occurs, the overflowing water will be directedthrough channel 110 and into the bucket so the same may be captured. Aswill be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it is contemplated thatthe embodiment 100 may be formed to be either a permanent structure ordetachably fastenable to the toilet for either disposal after single useor for cleaning and reuse.

In another aspect of the present invention, the bowl 12 may be modifiedwith an aperture 50, as shown in FIG. 6. The aperture 50 may be locatedabove a siphon passageway 52, and preferably is located above an elbow54 of the siphon passageway 52. Moreover, the aperture 50 may be locatedon a top surface 56 of the bowl 12 such that the toilet 14 may be usednormally by a person. The aperture 30 may be sized to fit a long slenderinstrument such as a toilet auger or in the alternative; the aperture 30may be sized to fit an adult human hand. The aperture 30 mayadditionally be threaded so as to receive a complementary threaded screw58. The threaded screw 58 as shown in FIG. 6 is shown to resemble a wingnut to remove the screw 58 from the threaded aperture 50; however, it iscontemplated that the screw 58 may be fabricated to receive a phillipsscrew driver to remove the screw or other types of tightening orloosening mechanisms. The screw 58 may be fabricated from material suchas plastic, rubber, steel, composite material or combinations thereof.Preferably, the screw 58 is fabricated from material that will notdamage the bowl 12 and will be able to withstand suction created withinthe siphon passageway 52 when the toilet 14 is flushed. Further, betweenthe screw 58 and the aperture 50, an O-ring 60 may be provided such thata water tight seal may be formed therebetween.

In use, the threaded screw 58 may be screwed onto the threaded aperture50 and the toilet 14 may function normally. However, when the siphonpassageway 52 becomes clogged with debris such as excess toilet paper,the screw 58 may be unthreaded and a toilet auger or other instrumentmay be placed therethrough to aid in removing debris or excess toiletpaper trapped inside of the siphon passageway 52.

As stated above, the aperture 50 may be positioned above the elbow 54 ofthe siphon passageway 52. In this regard, the aperture 50 isstrategically located such that debris trapped within the siphonpassageway 52 may be forced back into the bowl 12 for removal by aplumber or homeowner. Or, in the alternative, the debris may be forcedthrough the home drainage system.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, a built in plunger 62 isprovided. The built in plunger 62 may be integral with the toilet 14 asshown in FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 illustrates the built in plunger 62 in anon actuated position, whereas, FIG. 8 illustrates the built in plunger62 in an actuated position. The built in plunger may comprise a head 64,a cable 66, and a foot pedal 68. The head 64 may be fabricated to havethe same shape as a conventional plunger head. Preferably, the head 64when the built in plunger 62 is in a non actuated position conforms toan inner surface 70 of the siphon passage 52, as shown in FIG. 7. Inthis regard, the siphon passageway 52 may be allowed to function as in atypical gravity tank toilet 14. The cable 66 may comprise a sheath 72and a wire 74 disposed within the sheath 72. The sheath 72 and the wire74 may be disposed at least partially within the bowl of the toilet, asshown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The wire 74 may traverse along a length of thesheath 72. The wire 74 may define a first distal end 76 and seconddistal end 78. The first distal end 76 may be attached to the head 64;and the second distal end 78 may be attached to the foot pedal 68. Thefoot pedal 68 may be affixed to the floor 24; and be rotateable inrelation to the floor. In this regard, the second distal end 78 may beattached to the foot pedal 68 at an outer radius such that rotationalmovement of the foot pedal 68 may operate to traverse the wire 74 withinthe sheath 72 and the head from the non actuated position to theactuated position.

In use, the toilet 14 may function as a typical gravity tank toilet 14.However, when the toilet 14 becomes clogged, the user may traverse thefoot pedal 68 from the non actuated position to the actuated position,as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, respectively. Traversing the foot pedal 68 tothe actuated position may be operative to move the head 64 into thesiphon passageway 52, as shown in FIG. 8. The head 64 may be sized andconfigured to the siphon passageway 52 such that the head 64 may forcedebris from the siphon passageway 52 back into the bowl 12. The head 64may force debris from the siphon passageway 52 back into the bowl 12 bycreating pressure within the siphon passageway 52, and/or the head 64may physically contact the debris to push the debris back into the bowl12. As such, debris that may be trapped within the siphon passageway 52may be pushed back into the bowl 12.

To provide further protection, there is further illustrated in FIG. 8 anoptional band of absorbent material 80 that is positioned about theperimeter of the toilet bowl. Such band of absorbent material 80 may befabricated from a wide-variety of materials well-known in the art, suchas cross linked polyacrylimide materials operative to absorb hundreds oftimes its own weight in water. Such band of absorbent material isbelieved to compliment the functioning of the present invention byproviding further protection against damage caused to flooring and thelike from the overflow of toilets. In this respect, it is contemplatedthat the band of absorbent material 80 will be operative to absorb thewastewater overflowing from a toilet until such time as the clog orcause for the overflow is remedied. Accordingly, it should be understoodthat such band of absorbent material 80 is yet a further aspect of thenovel systems disclosed herein and deemed to fall within the scope ofthe present invention.

This description of the various embodiments of the present invention ispresented to illustrate the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, and other inventive concepts may be otherwise variouslyembodied and employed. The appended claims are intended to be construedto include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.

1. A basin for a toilet, the toilet having a bowl and a tank, the bowldefining an outside surface and rim, and the tank being fillable withwater, the basin comprising, a. a wall being circumscribable about thebowl, the wall and bowl defining a cavity capable of containingoverflowing waste water.
 2. The basin of claim 1 wherein the walldefines a lower edge, the lower edge being abbutable with the outsidesurface of the bowl at a lower portion of the bowl.
 3. The basin ofclaim 2 wherein the abutment of the lower edge and the base of the bowlis caulked.
 4. The basin of claim 1 wherein the wall is removeablyattachable to the bowl.
 5. The basin of claim 4 wherein the wall definesfirst and second distal ends, the first distal end being removeablyattachable to the second distal end.
 6. The basin of claim 5 wherein thefirst and second distal ends are lined with hooks and loops,respectively.
 7. The basin of claim 1 further comprising a liner toprovide a barrier between the wall and bowl, and overflowing wastewater.
 8. The basin of claim 1 wherein the wall is sized and configuredto the bowl such that the cavity is capable of containing at least onetank of water.
 9. A toilet comprising a bowl, the bowl defining a rimwherein the rim is notched for directing overflowing wastewater throughthe notch.
 10. The toilet of claim 9 wherein the notch is formed on therim at a rear portion of the rim.
 11. The toilet of claim 9 furthercomprising a bucket adjacent to the notch for containing the overflowingwastewater directed through the notch.
 12. The toilet of claim 10wherein the bucket defines an upper edge, and at least a portion of theupper edge is sized and configured to an outer surface of the bowl underthe notch.
 13. A toilet comprising, a. a siphon passageway, the siphonpassageway defining an elbow; b. a bowl defining an upper surface withan aperture for inserting instruments to remove debris trapped withinthe siphon passageway.
 14. The toilet of claim 13 wherein the aperturein the upper surface is positioned above the elbow of the siphonpassageway.
 15. The toilet of claim 13 wherein the aperture is threaded,and further comprises a screw removeably engageable with the threadedaperture.
 16. The toilet of claim 15 further comprising an O ring seatedbetween the screw and the upper surface to provide a water tight sealtherebetween.
 17. A toilet comprising a head disposed inside of a siphonpassageway of the toilet, the head being traverseable between a nonactuated position and an actuated position, the head being operative topush debris trapped within the siphon passageway back into a bowl of thetoilet upon being traversed from the non actuated position to theactuated position.
 18. The toilet of claim 17 wherein the head isnormally in the non actuated position.
 19. The toilet of claim 17further comprising, a. a cable, the cable having a sheath and a wiredisposed within the sheath, the wire defining first and second distalends, the first distal end being attached to the head; b. a foot pedalaffixed to a floor, the foot pedal attached to the second distal end ofthe wire, the foot pedal being operative to traverse the head from thenon actuated position to the actuated position upon depressing the footpedal.
 20. The toilet of claim 17 wherein the head is flush with aninner surface of the siphon passageway.
 21. The toilet of claim 17wherein said toilet further comprises a band of absorbent materialextending thereabout, said band of absorbent material being operative toabsorb wastewater overflowing from said toilet.